“I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities that I have visited, all my ancestors . . . Perhaps I would have liked to be my father, who wrote and had the decency of not publishing. Nothing, nothing, my friend; what I have told you: I am not sure of anything, I know nothing . . . Can you imagine that I do not even know the date of my death?” (“Borges-Quotations”)
The work of Jorge Luis Borges has been the subject of much literary criticism and research. Scholars have spent entire lifetimes attempting to pinpoint the meaning of his works. The fact that many of them use the above quote to do so sums up the enigma of Borges; the quote most likely to be used to explain him cannot be authenticated. In seventy-four short stories, over one hundred sonnets and thousands of essays, reviews, lectures, literature introductions and notes, the quote found in many quote collections and in an abundance of papers on the author may not be his words at all.
Far from this paradox disproving any theories on the themes and intentions of Borges, the very fact that writers continue quote to quote this passage illustrates his thoughts on memory, identity and authorship perfectly. Memory is malleable and transferrable. Memory is identity. Authorship is identity. Therefore, authorship is memory and is malleable and transferrable. There is no defining work from Borges defining these themes. Even to apply them to his fictions, one must absorb them all.
The fictions of Borges are brief, many as short as three pages. One of these (at eight pages) was the last story he wrote, Shakespeare’s Memory. Published after his death in 1986, he touc...
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...inberger. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1999. 463-472. Print.
Paul M. Willenberg. “The Garden of Jorge Luis Borges.” Swarthmore University. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
“The Eccentric Borges: Two UCL Analyses.” University College London. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.
Richard Burgin. Conversations with Jorge Luis Borges. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969. 26-27. Print.
.Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.
Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication.
Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems. New York: Dover, 1991. 12-19. Print.
In conclusion, Ficciones, a collection of short stories written by Jorge Luis Borges, contains several references to fantastic themes. This especially occurs within the short work, “The South,” in which a man by the name of Juan Dahlmann experiences a whimsical death that portrays his deepest regret: not following his ancestral history to become a cultural gaucho. Borges uses characterization and the implementation of his true reality to depict the ultimate idea that nothing is eternal and one must chase their dreams in order to live a satisfying life and die without being regretful.
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Online Article.” Title of Online Publication Version (Year Published): Pages. Date Accessed .
In 1944, Jorge Luis Borges published “The Secret Miracle”, a short story describing Jaromir Hladik, a Jew living in the Second World War. Jaromir Hladik is taken away by the Germans to a jail by the Germans to be executed shortly after. While in jail, he ponders on all the ways he could be killed and later realizes that he still has yet to finish his play “The Enemies”. He prays to God, begging for a year to be granted to him so that he can complete his last masterpiece. In a dream, he is granted that year. When the Germans pull the trigger, the world freezes for a full year so he can finish his play. At a first glance, “The Secret Miracle” appears to be merely a fictioness story. However, Borges included so much of his own life in the character of Jaromir Hladik that the story no longer seems to be so made up. “Borges writing was impelled and shaped by experience” (Williamson 296). Borges grew up loving books from the very start of his life. His father was always a reader, so he had a room set up like a library that housed hundreds of books. Borges also grew up in a family with colorful war history, which allowed him to be introduced to interesting stories early on. At the age of 56, he was completely blind, causing him to see literature in a different way. He no longer thought literature was a reality. For instance, he believed that although an apple is called an “apple”, it may not actually have that name. Yet he continues to write in this unreality for he feels that it is a writer’s duty to speak out against Juan Peron through literature. In spite of Borges’ belief that literature is not reality, there is evidence of Borges’ life embedded in it which clearly shape the issues and concerns of his work.
Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2012. 24-67. Print.
Some say that the essence of the present resides in the past. Hamlet, Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, as many great works, draws its deepest roots and ideas from past masterpieces. But how has Hamlet borrowed from other texts ; and with what effect ? In particular, Shakespeare borrowed the plot elements, the concept of the revenge tragedy and the character traits from Thomas Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy.
Bibliography:(sorry, I did this paper a while ago and I didn't have to do a bibliography so not really sure)
Borges made the ultimate Library that had all the answers, but yet the answers could not be found. This complicated paradox formulated by Borges impacts all the residents of the Library, making them search all their lives for something that is almost impossible to find. Even if by some infinitesimal chance that a person came across the book of all books, they would have no clue that they found the truth because the book right next to it can easily disprove it. The clueless wanderer would just keep on in his search, just to be later thrown off of the hexagonal rooms into the vast air shafts (this is the way people in the Library dispose of corpses), without knowing the truth of the Library. The truth cannot be found in concrete form and the inhabitants of the Library are forever cursed to wander it, never able to find the answer they seek.
Whitman, Walt “From I Sing the Body Electric” 1855. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Boston:Bedford /St.Martin’s 2012.786-788. Print. 10 May 2014.
In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten.
The influence of Jorge Borges’ stories comes from his philosophical mind more than it comes from his previous experiences. He based his stories on his philosophical beliefs that he believed applied most to life’s circumstances. Identity and labyrinths are unfailing topics that can be found in most of Borges’ short stories. Used to represent the unknown, identity and labyrinths are ideal symbolism in mysterious works. Borges skillfully uses fact and fiction to make his story interesting and fantastical while still maintaining authenticity. The unyielding inquiring Borges’ characters endure keeps “Death and the Compass”, detective fiction
Wiehe, Roger E. "Jorge Luis Borges." Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Vol 3. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1981: 977-982.
Jorge Luis Borges possesses writing styles unlike others of his time. Through his series of works, he has acquired the title of "the greatest living writer in the Spanish language." The particular example of work that I read, titled "Ficciones," was a definite portrayal of his culture. The book was not merely a list of facts from his birth country; instead the real cultural knowledge came from his writing style. The book consisted of two parts; each part was broken up into stories. Each one, despite being fiction, is a painting of his experiences, and the cultures of Buenos Aires. Among his themes are myths passed down through the families in his country. I thought that the stories that were contained in this collection were very educational. When finally taking a minute to analyze, and find deeper meaning to the tales, I discovered that they all posses what he has known in his life. He is easily distinguishable in his works. Now that I have thoroughly made it clear of his uniqueness, it will be easier for me to explain my next opinion. I thought that the writing style of Jorge Luis Borges was extremely exciting. He possesses the ability to capture his readers by fully utilizing the writing style known as irony. I found that irony is a large part of his works. He makes sure that the climax of the particular piece is not revealed until the conclusion of the story. A strong example of this was in a piece entitled "The Garden of Forking Paths." Bo...
Every American high- school student knows the name of Shakespeare. The reason is fairly simple- Shakespearean studies are a necessity enforced by nationwide curriculum. However, one could say, albeit intense studies into his works, few of these students are well versed in Shakespeare’s personal life. Shakespeare had an unusual life- his unorthodox early childhood, strange teenage years, and mysterious “lost years-“that may surprise many.
...taphorical Beer-goggles. We believe what we want to believe. We accept what is comfortable as is, and anything else we disregard as false and or imaginary. Borges' stories are masterfully written to capture this particular aspect of the human character. whether it be a simple defense mechanism, a genius cerebral accomplishment passed down through evolution, or our greatest weakness, a self-induced, self-created mental heroin, or an odd combination of the three, it reflects our dreams, and gives us a sense of reality acceptable to us. And, thus, we can move in this world each day, we get out of bed, dress ourselves, carry on what is now a pathetic excuse for existence, because we have those dreams, that will come true, that will bring satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. What privilege we have, to, at any time, be able to substitute our Hell for our Heaven...
In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the concept of love for Ophelia is often difficult to understand. Hamlet has deep and troubling emotions including betrayal, madness and love. Does he truly love Ophelia? Did he stop loving her? Did he ever love her? From the play there is a vast amount of evidence directing toward the conclusion that Hamlet always loved Ophelia, but just the same there are also some points where Hamlet rejects Ophelia cruelly. His reasons though can be backed up as a way to protect her from his mission of avenging the murder of his father, the late king of Denmark.